


The Beast in the Woods

by AWalkingParadox



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Or more of thriller, idk - Freeform, is this horror?, or just really bad writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 05:04:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17419601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWalkingParadox/pseuds/AWalkingParadox
Summary: It’s quiet. No, silent. The birds have stopped singing. The wind has died. A drop of sweat crawls down his back. He feels his heart hammering in his chest, feels his pulse pounding in his ears. He longs to turn around, to see what was causing this strange phenomenon, to see what was causing him to shake like a leaf on a windy day. But by god, he wasn’t stupid. He watched the horror movies. He read the books. Never look back, or you die. Just run.





	The Beast in the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> So! Did a little experiment. Sorry about the shortness and stuff, just wanted to try something out. Sorry if it’s really bad XD

He whistles as he walks, shoes scuffing the dusty path. He’s grinning, lips tilted up at its corners. His eyes are closed, corners crumpled up in joyful ease, and his clothes are still damp from earlier’s game. The evening air is rolling in, tickling his skin and caressing his face with the gentleness of a mother.  
_Beware children, beware of the woods._  
It’s getting dark, he notes. A few birds perch on the the trees, trilling and chirping. He clutched his duffel bag closer, wrinkling his nose at the scent of sweaty clothing. It’s a twenty minute walk to his house, ten if he runs.  
Mom’ll be real pissed, he thinks. But she’s also cooking lasagna tonight. He hitched the bag strap higher up on his shoulder, stomach grumbling at thoughts of food. He squares his shoulders and prepares to sprint.  
_Beware of the place where it once stood._  
Then, he stops.  
It’s quiet. No, silent. The birds have stopped singing. The wind has died. A drop of sweat crawls down his back. He feels his heart hammering in his chest, feels his pulse pounding in his ears. He longs to turn around, to see what was causing this strange phenomenon, to see what was causing him to shake like a leaf on a windy day. But by god, he wasn’t stupid. He watched the horror movies. He read the books. Never look back, or you die. Just run.  
But he couldn’t. He’s paralyzed with fear, terror gripping like throngs of ice, cold and sharp.  
Then he realizes. He can’t move. Time is frozen. He hears a growl, a low rumble, deep and inhuman. He feels something on his back, something jagged, like a knife. Or a claw.  
“H-hello?” He chokes out. His voice shakes. “Is anybody there?” A stupid question, maybe, but he clung onto the wild hope that maybe it was all just paranoia at play.  
Silence. Then, a hiss.  
Well, fuck.  
“Who the hell are you?” He tries again. Then winces at his wording. “Are you human?” Really doubt that. “Are you some kind of animal?” No answer. The silence is griping at him, and he struggles to fill it. “Well, you know, I won’t tell anyone.” He rambles, still unable to move. “I’ll keep all hush-hush about it, you let me go and I’ll go home and eat dinner and do my homework and go to sleep and no one’ll ever know. I won’t call the cops. I won’t tell my parents. You can go on and no one’ll get into trouble and you’ll get to do all your monster stuff—“  
The creature behind him gives a throaty growl. The atmosphere changes. It becomes predatory. Heavy. Dangerous. He lets out a yelp. “Okay, okay! Sorry, really sorry. I shouldn’t have used that word, it wasn’t very nice of me, please please please don’t kill me.” He’s never begged before. Never had to. He’d laugh right now, if he wasn’t so damn scared.  
_Eyes of night, heart of wood._  
He holds his breath. There’s no sound but the beating of his own heart.  
Then, miraculously, the pressure lessens. He can move.  
He stumbles forward, just barely catching himself from hitting the ground. Holy crap. He laughs, patting his arms and chest, eyes wide. He’s pretty sure tears are streaming down his face. He’s alive! “Oh my god.” He laughs again. “Oh. My. God.”  
He hesitates, tilts his head a bit but doesn’t turn around. “Thank you.” Then he starts for home.  
One step is all he can take.  
One snap of a twig is all the warning he gets.  
He spins around, and manages to get one glimpse. One glimpse of its black, hollow eyes. Of its mottled flesh and stringy hair. How it hangs down from its skull in dark clumps. He saw how its spine hunched and twisted. How its hands are gnarled into claws, sharp and filthy. How its teeth are elongated into broken fangs and how it towers over even the tallest tree. He saw one glimpse of how it bares it’s teeth. One glimpse of how its mouth, oh god is that even a mouth, stretches and curls, as if imitating a smile. One glimpse of its feet curling, and its arms outstretched.  
He manages one scream.  
It lets out one horrifying screech and lunges.  
Everything is quiet.  
Somewhere, a crow lets out a lonely caw.  
_Beware of the beast that lives in the woods._

**Author's Note:**

> Anyways so, hope it wasn’t too bad! I felt so weird typing that one cuss word. Also my phone isn’t cooperating with me so no indentations I guess.


End file.
